Participants: Danny Shelton & Yvonne Lewis (Host), Brian & Diane Hamilton
Series Code: TDY
Program Code: TDY016004A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words 00:29 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people. 01:07 Hello, and welcome to 3ABN Today. 01:09 Thank you for joining us as you do each and every day. 01:12 My co-host today is Dr. Yvonne Lewis. 01:14 Hello, Yvonne. 01:15 Hello, Danny. How are you doing? 01:16 You got a word of wisdom, 01:18 something good for the folk here. 01:19 Just stay tuned and see what God does. 01:22 We're gonna do something 01:23 that Yvonne and I are old enough to remember. 01:26 Some of you at home may be old enough to remember. 01:29 There was an old program what's it's called? 01:31 What's my life? This Is Your Life. 01:33 This Is Your Life and-- 01:35 Why always say I'm old? Well, I say we're old enough. 01:38 I didn't say how old you were, I just said, 01:40 we are old enough to remember this particular program. 01:44 Well, that's what we've been doing 01:46 with some of the co-workers 01:47 here at 3ABN administrative team. 01:50 We are going to different couples and saying, 01:52 "Hey, folk, know you're from television 01:54 and they've seen you 01:55 but there are things that the folks at home 01:57 probably would like to know that you've never told them 02:00 or maybe never had the opportunity." 02:02 Because if you get, I'm gonna introduce right now 02:04 of course, Brian and Diane Hamilton. 02:06 But like Brian when he is sitting out there 02:08 with John Lomacang and CA Murray 02:10 and my brother Kenny and myself and Shelley and Mollie, 02:13 you have a hard time getting any words in. 02:15 So maybe you just haven't had a chance to tell us 02:18 some things that you would have 02:20 but today, you guys, we won't call it the hot seat 02:23 but you are on the seat 02:25 that we're gonna explore a little bit, go back. 02:27 And I think, folks, it's really good 02:29 when they see people, they like to get to know these folk, 02:32 tell me little of their background 02:33 and that's why we started years ago 02:35 trying to go into people's background and their lives. 02:38 And so today it's good to have you here. 02:41 You are the CFO of course here at 3ABN. 02:43 And, Diane, you work in the, what's your-- 02:45 In the plan giving department. Plan giving department, okay. 02:49 One of the secretaries. All right. 02:51 Of course Yvonne is Dare to Dream manager. 02:54 So, we're glad that all of you are here today. 02:56 Before we actually get into the interview, 02:58 we're gonna find out a lot about the Hamilton's here 03:00 in just a few moments and it's gonna be good stuff. 03:04 And our prayer is that you will be blessed, 03:05 you will be drawn closer to Jesus 03:07 because in every life I found this out, 03:10 the older I get when you look at somebody's life, 03:12 there's things you can learn, there's things that ever 03:16 and we all have things in common. 03:18 We look at somebody, Yvonne some-- 03:20 well, you look at Yvonne. 03:21 I always tell people that she looks like 03:22 she is successful, doesn't she? 03:24 I mean, we're somewhere around people. 03:27 I'll say, she looks like she's got money don't you 03:29 and peoples' like, "Yeah, she does." 03:31 Now she tells us it's not true. 03:32 And I'll take her the words but there are certain things 03:36 you look at somebody like Yvonne and you say, 03:38 "Boy, but she never had a problem. 03:40 She would not know what it's like to be hungry. 03:42 She wouldn't know what it's like 03:44 to not know where the next dollar is coming from. 03:47 She wouldn't know what it's like to be sick. 03:49 She, I can just tell, they can tell by looking at you 03:52 everything has just been easy, Yvonne, all your life. 03:55 Well, we tend to do that 03:56 if you watch somebody on television, 03:59 well, this is to say, you know what, 04:01 we all learn from peoples' lives. 04:03 I can tell you when you are on a frontline for Jesus 04:07 especially everything is not gonna be a bed of roses 04:11 and barrel of fun as we say all the time. 04:13 But what we find out 04:15 when we submit and commit our lives to Jesus Christ 04:17 guess what, what happens? 04:19 We find victory 04:20 and God brings us through trials and tribulations 04:24 and we actually can grow closer to Him 04:26 through these things. 04:27 So the idea is not just to talk about their past 04:30 but hopefully and prayerfully 04:32 you will be drawn closer to the Lord 04:35 by their testimony today. 04:38 We are gonna be talking, 04:39 before we go into that though we got a song. 04:41 And this is some of our young, young kids 04:44 that we've invited to come here some time ago. 04:47 We put together little CD called 04:48 "It's A Beautiful World." 04:50 And so the song on this particular one 04:53 that they are singing for us today 04:54 is entitled, "Heaven." 05:06 Heaven such a beautiful place 05:10 We'll see Jesus face to face 05:14 All sorrow and pain He will erase 05:19 Heaven such a beautiful place 05:23 Have you ever wondered what heaven would be like? 05:26 The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9, 05:29 "But as it is written, 05:31 eye has not seen, nor ear heard, 05:34 neither have entered into the heart of man, 05:36 the things which God hath prepared for them 05:39 that love Him." 05:42 Heaven such a beautiful place 05:46 We'll see Jesus face to face 05:50 All sorrow and pain He will erase 05:54 Heaven such a beautiful place 05:58 We have so much beauty here on earth 06:00 that we can behold. 06:02 All the beautiful lakes and springs 06:04 and oceans filled with all of the colorful 06:06 and wondrous creatures from the sea world 06:09 to the highest snowcapped mountains 06:11 pointing towards God's created heavens. 06:14 And yet it suddenly occurred to me 06:16 why heaven is so much more beautiful 06:19 than this whole earth of ours. 06:21 It's not just about what heaven have 06:23 is that makes it so wonderful, 06:25 it's also about what heaven does not have. 06:28 But do you know what's missing in heaven? 06:30 It's sin. And why is there no sin in heaven? 06:33 Because Jesus is there. 06:35 Imagine a place where there is no sickness, 06:38 no pain or death. 06:40 I can't wait for heaven, how about you? 06:45 Heaven such a beautiful place 06:49 We'll see Jesus face to face 06:53 All sorrow and pain He will erase 06:57 Heaven such a beautiful place 07:02 Heaven such a beautiful place 07:06 We'll see Jesus face to face 07:09 All sorrow and pain He will erase 07:14 Heaven such a beautiful place 07:18 Heaven such a beautiful place 07:20 Heaven such a beautiful place 07:30 I love that song. 07:31 It's so happy and upbeat 07:33 and the children just seem like they are really into it. 07:36 All the songs on that CD 07:37 really conceptualize different things 07:41 and "Heaven" and "Seven's The Perfect Number" 07:44 and all these great songs though. 07:46 If you don't have that CD, you need to get it, 07:49 share it with somebody. 07:51 Well, the title of this little project is called 07:54 "It's A Beautiful World." 07:56 And so today our interview with Brian and Diane, 08:00 we're gonna find out it's a beautiful world 08:02 when God's in it, when He is in control, right? 08:04 That's true. That's true. 08:05 And, so, let's start back a little bit 08:07 and I think we should start with ladies first. 08:09 So, Yvonne, I'm gonna let you go in and ask Diane 08:12 because she is the one that wants to talk the least 08:14 so we might as well get her opinion to begin with, right? 08:20 So, Diane, where did you grow up? 08:22 I grew up in Ohio, so I'm a Buckeye. 08:25 Okay. 08:26 And where are you in the birth order in your family? 08:28 I'm the third one and there were four of us, 08:31 two boys, two girls. 08:33 And was it a Christian household? 08:35 Yes. 08:36 We were blessed tohave a Christian home 08:40 and it was a... 08:45 loving home and very committed to the Lord 08:49 and committed to Christian education 08:53 and my parents really gave of themselves 08:58 to provide for that and... 09:01 Seventh-day Adventist? Seventh-day Adventist. 09:03 Okay, now how did they become Seventh-day Adventist? 09:06 Well, dad and his family, 09:09 he was raised in a Seventh-day Adventist 09:12 and then my mother she became an Adventist 09:16 when she was a teenager. 09:18 Okay. 09:19 Was it a colporteur or someone that brought-- 09:21 Right, the colporteur brought a book to their home 09:24 and her and her two sisters and her mother became Adventist 09:29 and they were the only ones in the family 09:31 and the family was like older kids 09:35 and then a second group of kids came along later 09:39 and my mom was in the second group. 09:42 So that put a bonding with them 09:45 because of their beliefs and so. 09:48 Diane's mom went to Oak... 09:52 Oak Park. Oak Park Academy in Iowa. 09:55 And my mom and my dad went to Oak Park Academy 09:59 at the same time. 10:00 Oh, really? Yeah. 10:02 And then your mom and dad met at Andrews 10:07 and we met at Andrews. 10:11 So it's kind of interesting how that worked. 10:13 Absolutely. 10:15 When you were growing up, 10:16 did you have dreams and aspirations of, 10:19 you know, what you wanted to be when you became an adult? 10:23 No, I just kind of went along. Just took one day at a time. 10:27 One day at a time, yeah. 10:30 Sometimes when you grow up Adventist, 10:33 you kind of take things for granted 10:35 and you just kind of settle into the routine 10:38 of Adventism versus, you know, really being rooted. 10:42 Which were you? 10:44 Where you into the routine or were you really rooted? 10:49 I would say, you know, into the routine 10:51 but then, but rooted too. 10:56 I didn't have any big fluctuations in my life, 11:00 just very even. 11:01 You never went out and said, 11:02 "I don't think I had it with church, 11:04 I had it with the Lord and go out try something." 11:05 No. I loved the Lord all along. 11:07 You know, when I was little I would, 11:10 I fought tears a lot and being anything religious 11:16 and I'm fighting tears, you know. 11:20 And I had to pray my way through all of that and, 11:24 yeah, I was very close to the Lord 11:27 throughout my life. 11:29 Yeah. 11:31 Her folks were always, 11:32 and family were always active in the church. 11:34 Very active and whatever the church, 11:37 local church was doing, they were part of it. 11:39 There was an activity going on, the whole family was there. 11:42 They were that kind of family. 11:45 That was back in the day 11:46 that when you would go to vespers, 11:49 Friday night vespers. 11:52 You would have your hair already done and curlers. 11:59 My sister and I would go to vespers with our curlers 12:04 and a scarf over it. 12:06 Oh, yeah. Okay. 12:07 In preparation for the next day for Sabbath, right? 12:10 For Sabbath, right. Yeah. 12:13 So anyway, 12:15 fortunately we don't have to do that anymore. 12:18 When I met her it was juice cans, 12:20 I mean big curlers. Oh, wow. 12:22 She had long hair. Yeah, long hair. 12:23 She must've had long hair. 12:26 I'm thinking in little bit, 12:27 we're gonna get some pictures of them 12:28 so whenever you want some up-- 12:30 Well, maybe this be a good time to show Diane's family 12:32 so people could see what they look like. 12:35 And, Diane, which one are you? 12:37 I'm-- 12:38 On the left, right? Yeah, on the left and. 12:41 Some people might not know 12:42 but the little one on the right, 12:44 the little girl on the right is our cook for camp meeting. 12:46 Oh, is that? Right. Well, she good one too. 12:49 Yes, she is. Wow. Okay. 12:51 Two brothers, mom and dad. 12:53 We were a poor family 12:57 and my parents just really sacrificed a lot 13:00 to wouldn't they-- 13:04 they built their own home 13:06 and that we were on the sub floor 13:08 and as kids, it didn't matter to us. 13:11 And one time, 13:12 my mother reared back in her chair at the table 13:16 because somebody had not talked properly to her 13:21 and she was gonna discipline 13:24 and her chair leg went down into the hole of a-- 13:27 a knot hole of the floor, 13:29 you know, and so that kind of ended 13:33 that little discipline because... 13:34 Oh, somebody's prayer was answered. 13:36 Yeah. 13:39 One of them did say, "Thank you, Lord." 13:41 She lost her balance 13:43 and of course it was a big laugh and-- 13:45 Yeah. 13:47 Well, let's talk about that for a minute discipline, 13:49 because apparently you folks did something right 13:52 because very few people would just say, 13:54 I always loved the Lord. I hung in there. 13:57 I just never really wanted to go out in the world. 13:59 So you saw parents living 14:03 what they were teaching you obviously. 14:05 Right. 14:06 But what kind of discipline was in your home? 14:09 Well, we were taught to obey and we obeyed. 14:14 We knew that if they said, 14:15 "okay, it's time to go" we went. 14:18 Even your brothers? Yeah. 14:20 Even them, okay. They didn't try it something. 14:23 I mean, you know, 14:24 and my personality was just very easy going. 14:28 And so, you know, every kid is different than... 14:31 And never used to switch or rebel or anything? 14:33 Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Oh, they did. Okay. 14:37 Oh, yeah. From time to time. 14:41 It didn't hurt us at all. It was a God sent. 14:44 I appreciate my parents were conservative 14:48 and they were careful especially with their daughters 14:54 and I appreciate that because they don't have any of the-- 14:57 some of the issues that other little girls had 15:01 because they weren't carefully guarded. 15:06 So I was blessed. Yeah. Yes, for sure. 15:10 So how did your parents obviously 15:14 set a really good example for you? 15:17 How did they, how did that play out on a day to day basis? 15:21 Did you have family worship? Yes. 15:23 But how did they worked together as a team 15:26 to bring up their children? 15:28 Well, we knew that if dad said, no, 15:31 we didn't go to mom and ask her, we knew that. 15:36 So they were united in their words 15:41 and there was no fighting in the home between them, 15:46 fighting among the kids, yeah. 15:48 We were kind of normal that way but it was, 15:54 I was just very blessed, very, very blessed. 15:58 Well, apparently my folks went to school with your folks 16:01 because that's the way they dealt with it. 16:02 The discipline and they never argued among each themselves. 16:07 I'm sure they must have had disagreements 16:09 when we were around but we knew as a kids 16:11 that you don't ask one parent to do something they say no 16:14 and go to the another one 16:16 because that would turn around and bite you 16:17 and so you knew better than to do that. 16:21 So parental training 16:24 and the education through worship and prayer 16:29 and then consistently going to church. 16:32 Yeah. Yeah. Very committed to the church. 16:34 Our church was amazing too. 16:38 It was a very family oriented church 16:41 and it was not segregated well. 16:46 Well, the youth are playing games tonight 16:48 and the teenagers this and the little kids this, 16:52 it was family. 16:53 It was so awesome. Okay. 16:55 And every Saturday night was get together and play games. 17:02 And they had ping-pong table and I could remember, 17:05 I was on the team with my dad or whoever. 17:09 And then other little kids would be with their, 17:12 you know, so there been adult and the kid 17:15 and we play teams and it just was really amazing 17:19 how bonding it was for the church. 17:23 And it was like wow, this is so neat. 17:26 And I didn't realize how neat it was until later 17:29 when we had our own kids 17:31 and no longer did they do that as a family. 17:35 It was like, oh, it's teenagers' night tonight 17:38 to play bowl and whatever. 17:40 But we had just a very awesome, 17:44 every Saturday night it was something special. 17:47 Something to look forward to. Yeah. 17:49 And so of course, we had to go home and take a nap 17:53 so that we can, you know, not be grumpy. 17:56 Yeah, absolutely. 17:57 See now it was Worthington because-- 17:59 No, it was Columbus. Columbus, okay. 18:00 Columbus. 18:02 All right, well, Brian, let's talk about you. 18:04 Now where were you born and raised? 18:06 Okay, well, I was born in Walla Walla, Washington. 18:09 They liked the name so well, they named it twice. 18:11 You see, Walla Walla. 18:14 You lived there till you were how old? 18:16 Well, my folks we went to the mission field 18:19 when I was three. 18:21 Oh, wow. 18:22 And came back I was just about 10. 18:25 We had a six and half year term in mission field. 18:29 And so my father was a principal 18:32 and my mother was a nurse and taught nursing 18:35 and I was a missionary kid. 18:37 What are the languages do you speak? 18:39 Well, we spoke Urdu was the language in Pakistan 18:44 and as kids learned it, 18:45 in fact we can speak it better than our folks. 18:48 Our folks really never, 18:50 they learned a few words here and there 18:51 but as kids we were quite fluent. 18:54 And when we got, came back to the States 18:58 then dad would take us from church to church 19:01 doing mission stories, you know, 19:03 and we had to get up and sing, 19:05 Jesus Loves Me and This Little Light Of Mine 19:07 and songs like that in Urdu. 19:09 I was so happy to forget Urdu and I don't know, 19:13 I don't have a word of it today. 19:15 You know, it's God. 19:16 But, you know, we just heard he sings. 19:19 We didn't know that you were a singer. 19:21 The three of us here, well, it's just a joyful noise 19:23 unto the Lord, okay. 19:24 You said as kids, how many, how many? 19:26 Okay, I have an older brother and a younger brother. 19:30 And I think I have a couple pictures 19:33 one of my mom and my dad. 19:36 Mom was graduated from nursing there 19:38 and then the next one is of our family. 19:42 And that was taken just, 19:46 either just after we got back to the States 19:48 or just before we got back. 19:50 I don't know which. Now which one are you? 19:52 I'm the one in the middle and little brother Doug 19:56 and my older brother Robert and my mom and my dad. 20:00 All right. Absolutely. That was our family. 20:03 So you came, they came back 20:04 and then what did he once he came back? 20:06 Now he was principal at-- 20:09 Well, he finished the master's degree 20:11 and then in Portland, Oregon 20:12 he was a principal of academy there 20:14 and he was in education, 20:16 public school education most all the rest of his life. 20:18 He's passed away. 20:20 So you kind of grew up on the west coast? 20:21 Yeah. Yeah. Okay. 20:22 Except for that six year period in the mission field. 20:26 Yeah. 20:27 One of the things that, you know, 20:29 as we are talking about our life and our family, 20:33 one of the things that I hope come through 20:35 is we both were modeled service. 20:40 A life of service for God. Okay. 20:42 You know, what Diane and her folks, 20:45 they were active in their local church in service. 20:48 And so, the whole family was involved 20:50 in whatever the local church was doing in service. 20:53 And then for me, I mean, it was, I was excited as a kid 20:58 and proud to be a part of a family 21:01 that was going to a mission land. 21:03 You know, you would sing in Sabbath school, 21:05 you know, about being in mission, 21:07 you know, mission boat or mission plane or whatever 21:10 and that's what we were about. 21:13 And so even though they didn't have to teach us 21:17 about service, their life was service. 21:21 And so then we caught, at least I did, 21:24 I caught this idea of service, 21:27 you know, through our mission experience. 21:30 And as a child too, I'm much like Diane. 21:34 I love the Lord, grew up on Bible stories 21:38 and Uncle Arthur's Bedtime Stories 21:41 and Benny the Beaver and Humpy the Moose 21:44 and, you know, all those little books 21:46 that they had for kids that are part of the reading plan, 21:49 you know, for youth. 21:52 And so it was neat. 21:54 You had a very good loving family life. 21:58 Yes, we did. 21:59 Although, you know, we also had tragedy. 22:04 My folks spilt up a few years 22:07 after coming to the United States 22:09 and that was, that was a very painful experience 22:14 to go through as a-- 22:16 I was about nine or ten about that time. 22:19 Ten, ten-years-old. Okay. 22:21 Ten or eleven. 22:22 And I learned from that, that, you know, 22:27 even if you are involved in the Lord's work, 22:31 it doesn't mean that you aren't free from temptation 22:35 or free from tragic experiences, 22:38 you know, they come your way. 22:41 And for me as I went through that 22:45 and experiences later on, 22:48 I began to see that there is a bigger picture 22:51 that when you go through a particular tragedy 22:53 in your life, that's not the end of it. 22:56 I mean, there is something more beyond. 22:59 You know, there is life beyond that tragedy. 23:02 And so, you have the choice of do you take it 23:05 and embrace it and hug it the tragedy and fondle it 23:09 and continue bringing it back, 23:11 and if so, then you are always bound by it. 23:14 Or do you say, okay, Lord, you know, you cry, you weep, 23:19 you mourn and then you go on and see 23:22 what does the Lord have for me to do. 23:24 And so that was, 23:26 that was part of a difficult time in our lives 23:30 to go through that experience. 23:32 So I ended up with mom and my younger brother 23:35 and my older brother ended up with my dad. 23:37 And then our family spilt a little bit there 23:41 for many years. 23:42 So did you go to academy then when you get little older? 23:45 Yeah. I went to Auburn Academy. 23:48 Okay. And was there for three years. 23:52 Diane went to Mount Vernon Academy 23:55 and one year or part of one year to Indiana Academy. 24:00 Okay. Yeah. 24:03 My mom remarried about five, six years later 24:08 and she married McNeilus. 24:11 Okay. 24:12 In fact, there is 24:13 that Garwin McNeilus is my stepbrother. 24:18 Okay. 24:20 Here we have a picture of my stepfather and my mother 24:23 just shortly after they were married. 24:25 And this was Garwin McNeilus' father. 24:28 So his name was Linden McNeilus. 24:31 And that marriage drew me out to Minnesota. 24:36 Oh, wow. From the west coast to-- 24:38 To Minnesota. 24:39 Nice weather to going up to cold in the winter time. 24:41 Oh, yes. That was dramatic. That was cultural shock. 24:47 But I spent a fun summer I have to say, 24:49 a fun summer helping to build a house 24:52 that they lived in for all their life. 24:55 And so that was good experience for me. 24:59 I liked building and in fact 25:02 that's what I thought I would become as a contractor, 25:05 you know, building or carpenter or something like that. 25:08 And I went to college to find a wife, 25:12 not to get an education. 25:14 And then I was going to be a contractor. 25:17 Well, we used to have fun about it. 25:18 You know, people don't say what they go for. 25:20 There was a mission, you know. 25:24 And he had the Andrews book that had all the pictures 25:28 and he had all the girls he went to try out, circled. 25:32 Yeah. Yellow marker. 25:34 I went very systematic about this thing. 25:36 Starting with A's and work my way through. 25:37 Well, then can you just might as well tell us 25:39 how did you get Diane 25:41 and then how did she work into all this? 25:43 I was the last one. Yeah, it took two tries. 25:45 I'll have to say that one. Oh, it took two tries. 25:47 She was marked under. 25:48 Yeah, she was marked under, absolutely. 25:51 Well, you got to dare to dream, right? 25:53 That's right. Dare to dream. 25:56 And I made one attempt to plan the date 26:01 and she was already dating somebody. 26:03 And so it took me about a year later to get around 26:06 and muster up a second try at that. 26:10 And this time it worked. This time she said, yes. 26:14 So what do you think about Brian 26:16 when you first saw him? 26:17 Oh, I thought he was cute. 26:22 Good answer. Did he turn on the charm? 26:25 Well, you know, he made some comment. 26:28 We had eaten lunch together or something. 26:30 He walked me back to the dorm and said something about, 26:35 "You know, I don't mean to be in your face. 26:37 You know, if you are not interested, that's fine." 26:39 I said, yeah, I'm not interested. 26:42 And he didn't hear it. He is selective hearing. 26:44 It went over, it went over, thank goodness, it went over. 26:48 I would have been devastated otherwise. 26:49 Yes. Yes. Yeah. 26:53 That was very deliberate. So tell her that's the story. 26:55 Yeah, it was, was. We got to hear the rest. 26:58 He asked, you know, so-- 27:00 Well, she went back to her dorm and told her sister 27:03 what she had said to me. 27:05 And the sister got all over for it 27:07 or for that, you know. 27:09 Thank goodness, so Anita has always been my ally, you know. 27:14 And so, because I didn't hear it, I asked again. 27:18 I was thinking anything was wrong, you know. 27:20 And so then she-- 27:22 So why did you say, yes, now, the next time? 27:24 Well, when I went back into the dorm, 27:26 you know, I said, "Oh, I don't know 27:28 if I really think that or not." 27:31 And so she was willing to give another try. 27:34 Okay. What year was this? 27:37 In school, I mean, freshman, sophomore? 27:39 Seventy three, seventy four, seventy three. 27:41 We married in '75, probably been '70. 27:45 We've dated for two years. Okay. 27:48 All right, so-- 27:50 There is a picture coming up I think of our wedding. 27:54 Wedding. 27:55 You can see Diane with her long hair 27:57 and I actually had hair. Yeah. Yes, I see there. 28:01 Sideburns. Sideburns. 28:02 Where was that? Was that up in Andrews area or? 28:05 No, that was in Ohio. Ohio, okay. 28:08 Lovely couple. Yeah, absolutely. 28:11 That was, that was for our life. 28:14 Were you out of college by then? 28:16 I had quit because I had who I wanted. 28:19 I had quit-- 28:21 He had accomplished his mission. 28:22 Yeah, three years under my belt and I quit. 28:25 Everybody told me I was nuts 28:27 and I was foolish for doing that, 28:29 but I had what I wanted 28:32 and I went and started my work. 28:35 I was installed carpet in vinyl floors, 28:39 I learned that trade. 28:40 And that was and Linden McNeilus helped me 28:44 buy my first pickup. 28:46 He made tools to get going 28:49 and I dropped out by January and we got married in June. 28:54 And I had enough business going. 28:55 And, Diane, what was you thinking? 28:57 He quit college on you and you went ahead, 28:59 you married him anyway, right? 29:01 Oh, yeah, yeah. But I finished. 29:03 I took two years to finish my senior year, 29:07 so I could just kind of take it easy 29:10 and not be fulltime student and married too so. 29:15 Yeah. 29:17 And we walked home or drove home 29:19 from her graduation ceremony service on Sunday 29:23 and I got a phone call from a little mill, 29:27 Adelphian Mill that was connected with our academy 29:31 in Flint area, Michigan. 29:33 They were needing an accountant and they had somehow, 29:36 I think I left a resume at the school 29:39 in one of the offices there that they help kids, 29:44 students get there good jobs and I had a resume there 29:48 and they got it. 29:49 I got this call out of the blue. 29:52 So that started us on a whole different adventure. 29:55 I went from running a hammer 29:57 to try and to learn to run a calculator. 30:00 And, boy, was that ever embarrassing. 30:03 You go into an office 30:04 and these women can type like storm, 30:06 you know, and run the calculator 30:07 and I'm sitting there 30:09 because, you know, I just never learned it. 30:12 In school you learn all the accounting 30:14 and you write it, 30:15 you just don't run the machines, you know. 30:17 And anyway, 30:18 so that was our first big adventure 30:21 in service together was working at Adelphian Academy 30:26 at the little factory there and I was their accountant. 30:29 How long after you were married did you have to move into that? 30:33 Did you move? Did you relocate? 30:34 Yeah, that was two years in, 30:37 took Diane two years to finish her school 30:40 and then we moved to Flint. 30:43 And we were there, 30:44 that's where our children were born. 30:46 Yeah, both boys were born there. 30:48 Really, in Flint? Yeah. Yeah. 30:50 We have a picture of your family too 30:51 with your boys. 30:53 Yeah, that was when Brian decided to go back to seminary. 30:57 Well, yeah, and I finished my business degree-- 31:00 Oh, you did go back to school. 31:01 Yeah, after four years went back to school. 31:04 That was much more expensive. 31:06 There wasn't parents helping me 31:08 because now we were on our own. 31:10 We had two kids. 31:11 We had two kids but we did it and the Lord-- 31:14 And why after doing that why did you go back now 31:18 to go to the seminary? 31:21 Well, you know, when we were in, 31:24 we lived in Holly which is right close to Flint 31:27 and we were active in the church 31:28 just like our folks were active in the church. 31:31 We started being active 31:33 and I was Sabbath school teacher 31:35 for kids department 31:37 and then deacon and then an elder 31:39 and then they asked me to speak upfront for a Sabbath. 31:44 And that was scary 31:45 because I wasn't much on outgoing side of things 31:50 and this put you up in front of people and speaking, 31:53 you know, that was scary, but I did it. 31:56 The Lord helped me and I don't know 31:59 if I was good or not good 32:00 but at least I crossed that threshold 32:03 and after doing that a haunting whisper of the Lord 32:10 that maybe He had a role for me 32:12 either pastoral or something in the church. 32:16 However you have felt pastoral before. 32:19 Yeah. 32:21 But I was just too frightened to be upfront of people. 32:24 That was just too intimidating for me at that point. 32:27 In fact, going back that summer I spent in Minnesota 32:31 with the McNeilus and my mom there. 32:34 My stepfather since I was, 32:37 he thought I would be a good pastor 32:39 and I should go and do sales work for him. 32:41 Oh, okay. 32:43 And I was supposed to go and do the sales for him. 32:46 I couldn't do it. 32:47 I spent one morning doing it, came back and told him, 32:49 I'm sorry. 32:51 And he says, well, how you're ever gonna be a pastor 32:53 if you can't meet people. 32:55 And I said, I guess, I'm not gonna be a pastor. 32:58 So, I put that under back burner. 33:01 In business, I took accounting and business, 33:03 you know, I figured that would help me as a contractor. 33:06 But then you went back? 33:08 Yeah, and so then we went back to school 33:10 and so I finished my business degree 33:14 and we put a fleece out to the Lord. 33:16 If He wanted us to go into pastoring, 33:19 then He needed to give us a sponsorship. 33:23 And we got interviewed by Michigan Conference 33:27 and hired, sponsored and went to seminary. 33:31 And then the picture that we have coming up 33:34 I think is the one we're at the graduation. 33:37 There is our two little boys and Diane and I 33:42 during our graduation. 33:44 I still have that flat hat stuck away-- 33:48 Okay. 33:49 Was the, and the robes are disposable. 33:53 About what year was this now? 33:54 Now, that would have been probably '82 or '83 33:59 somewhere in that. 34:00 Wow. Okay. Okay. Yeah. 34:03 It's interesting how we financed that. 34:07 We had bought a little house in the subdivision. 34:10 I mean, it was just a little three bedroom house 34:13 with a little garage off the back. 34:15 In a subdivision 34:17 that all the houses looked the same, 34:19 exactly the same. 34:20 Nothing different about them, 34:22 probably built just after the war or something. 34:25 And we got this house and we got it 34:29 because we made so little money at the mill. 34:32 Right. 34:34 Okay, we just afforded to get a loan 34:36 that was a government loan 34:38 for people who made small amounts of money. 34:41 Okay. 34:43 Then when we decided 34:44 we're gonna do this thing going back to school 34:47 and going into the ministry, 34:51 we, that was our asset that if we can sell that 34:55 and I had figured out how much money I needed 34:57 to finish my education, 34:59 I tacked that on to what we owed on the house. 35:05 And it meant that house had to sell 35:07 for at least $7,000 or $8,000 more than any other house 35:13 that was listed for sale in that subdivision. 35:16 Most of them were listed for $36,000 at that time 35:21 and we had to list ours and sell it for about $48,000. 35:25 Oh, wow. 35:26 So it was clear out priced, you know. 35:30 We call the realtor in and said, 35:33 this is what we want to list our house for 35:35 and we want to list it for 90 days, three months. 35:40 And if the Lord sells His house 35:42 in the first half of that 90 days, 35:44 we are going into pastoring. 35:46 If He sells it in the last half of that 90 days, 35:48 we are going to go in, in just business. 35:51 And if it doesn't sell at all guess what, 35:53 we are gonna stay right here. 35:55 That's not the call of Lord to us. 35:58 And we went right up to the last week 36:00 of the first half 36:02 and it sold for what we asked for every penny. 36:06 Amazing. Let's praise the Lord. 36:08 Yeah, that's what financed us to go to seminary. 36:11 So now did you find pastoring easier than selling? 36:15 No, it was baptism of fire. Oh, dear. 36:21 I pastored to two church district 36:25 right in the subdivisions of Berrien Springs. 36:29 You know, so you have these big mega Adventist churches 36:32 like Pioneer Memorial, the Village Church 36:34 and I was head two little ones Stevensville 36:37 and one called Chikaming. 36:39 Okay. We had two church district. 36:41 And bless those folk as Stevensville and Chikaming 36:46 for putting up with us 36:47 in our learning experience to say. 36:51 Tell us about your children? 36:54 Okay, Diane. 36:55 Well, our first born child was a challenge. 37:03 He cried a lot and here we are new parents 37:07 and thought, man, what do you do with this kid, 37:10 he just won't quit crying, you know. 37:14 So it was hard, I was always calling my mom. 37:16 Okay, he is doing this, what's the matter, you know. 37:20 Well, how do we fix it? 37:23 Oh, dear, crying at night and everything. 37:26 Then when the second one came and he was 14 months later, 37:32 he never cried and it was like-- 37:34 Call mom again, what's wrong he is not crying. 37:37 And he was always sleeping and he is like, wow. 37:41 Where as the first one is like 37:43 man, it was just a battle to get him to sleep, 37:47 to get him to quit crying and oh, yeah, yeah, 37:50 and I wasn't born a mother. 37:53 And anyway, so it was challenging 37:57 but still enjoyed it and it was a blessing having them and-- 38:03 How many children do you have? 38:04 Just the two, two boys. Okay, and their names. 38:07 Leith, L-E-I-T-H and Trent. Okay. 38:12 When we were dating she let me know, 38:16 she was not really a motherly type 38:18 and so there are no kids. 38:20 Oh, okay. This is okay? 38:21 I got to know that. 38:24 She says, I'm not gonna marry a pastor. 38:26 Okay. 38:28 I was business so there was no problem. 38:29 She says, and I'm not going over the mission field 38:31 where there is bugs 38:33 and all kinds of snakes in there, 38:35 I'm not doing any of those things. 38:36 I'm a trucker. I wanted to marry a trucker. 38:38 That's there too. 38:39 Well, I wasn't gonna be a trucker. 38:42 But I went out on a couple of them. 38:43 Yeah. Absolutely. 38:46 And we had a picture little ago may we put it back up. 38:49 There you go, the family. 38:50 Yeah. That's our family. Yeah. 38:52 All right. Good looking family. 38:55 Our two boys and Leith and Trent. 38:59 Leith is in the blue, Trent is standing next to him. 39:03 And Jill her daughter-in-law 39:05 and our two grandkids James and Lexi. 39:09 So that's our family. Nice. 39:12 The grandkids are pretty special. 39:15 Yeah. 39:16 They were much easier than my own kids. 39:18 Yeah. That's often the case. Yes. 39:20 Oh, this is so sweet. Yeah, absolutely. 39:24 You had a very intense challenge 39:28 with one of your children. 39:29 Tell us about that? 39:32 Okay. 39:34 Our oldest son Leith 39:38 was involved in a very tragic situation 39:41 that put him in, he is incarcerated today. 39:46 That happened just shortly after we came here to 3ABN 39:51 and it was, it was very traumatic 39:56 to have a son charged with a crime of murder 40:02 and guilty of it and go through that experience. 40:09 It was not at all characteristic of him, 40:12 it was very, anyway it was very traumatic. 40:15 Traumatic for him 40:17 and the experience he went through 40:18 and for of course us as a family. 40:21 But here again when our life is dedicated to God 40:27 and to His service, the promises 40:30 that He will take anything that comes your way, 40:34 He will take it and He will turn it. 40:37 If we give it over to Him, He will take it 40:39 and He will turn it in someway for the good. 40:41 That's right. Okay. 40:43 And so the picture we saw of our family there 40:46 was taken in a visitor center in a California prison. 40:50 Oh, wow. 40:51 That was where, that's a setting for that picture. 40:54 And one of the neat things about Photoshopping 40:59 I wasn't in that picture. 41:00 Oh, okay. Okay. 41:02 Every prison has their own rules, 41:04 in this particular prison the rules are 41:06 you can only have five visitors at one time 41:10 and to visit and there are six of us. 41:14 And so I had a picture taken separately at a different visit 41:20 and Diane and the kids they were on that visit 41:24 but thankfully our Photoshop could put in the picture. 41:27 There you go. 41:28 That put us all together in that visiting. 41:31 Okay. 41:32 How is this, how is this dramatically changed your life? 41:35 Oh, yeah. 41:37 And tell us a little bit what this has done? 41:39 You can either, when Satan throws something at you, 41:42 you can let it defeat you or you can say, 41:44 you know what, God is the creator, 41:46 Satan is an imitator. 41:48 God creates beautiful things 41:49 around ugly circumstances of sin, death, diseases, 41:52 sickness, all of those things. 41:54 Tell us what has done for you and Diane 41:57 because it's been a tremendous, 41:59 putting you in a direction you never, 42:01 probably never dreamed you would be. 42:02 Oh, yeah. Yeah. 42:04 Well, you know, as we got involved in visiting our son 42:10 during this process of trial and all that, 42:13 we began to see other hurting people 42:18 who are in the very same circumstances we were in 42:22 going to visit 42:23 and all the security situations you have to go through. 42:26 And as we began to see that, the Lord just opened our eyes 42:30 to a need in the area of prison ministry 42:34 that we never had seen before. 42:36 Never ever thought of, never considered, 42:39 never it had entered in our mind, you know. 42:41 And so one of the visits that we made early on 42:47 to see our son, we saw a couple little bit older than us 42:52 who were also, 42:53 we could see grief on their face like on ours 42:56 and they were there for their first visit 42:59 as we had been just a few days before our first visit 43:04 and we could see how lost they were 43:06 about how to do it and now we had gone through it. 43:10 And so we had this chance to take them 43:14 and walk them through their first journey 43:16 and it just happened to be the very same visitors' spot 43:20 that our son was in. 43:22 So we also knew that they were visiting their son 43:25 who had must have been involved in something very serious 43:29 because he wouldn't have been in that same visiting area. 43:34 And so that was our first launch 43:37 into what we call prison ministry was in that. 43:41 Came back here to 3ABN 43:43 and of course shared with our family here, 43:46 what had happened and we had decided 43:50 to be open about it not closed, not, 43:53 you know, not pretend like it didn't happen or whatever. 43:56 And I think by us doing that being open, 44:01 you know, about our tragedy, 44:04 it allowed people to minister to us 44:07 and know how to because we are open, 44:09 we weren't closed about, we weren't secretive about it. 44:12 And so people ministered to us. 44:14 Here at 3ABN people we knew and other places 44:17 where he worked email, call, write 44:20 and we were ministered to as a result of that. 44:25 Also had a chance then to be invited 44:28 to help our in one of our local prisons here 44:31 and be involved in going in and doing services there. 44:36 And then Diane joined me 44:37 and then we ended up taking over it 44:40 and then we added another prison 44:41 and another prison. 44:43 And then we started organizing concerts for the prisons 44:47 and gift bags for the prisons 44:49 and, and so it's really, it's been a neat journey. 44:52 Look at God and how He takes 44:55 one of the most tragic situations 44:57 that you ever encountered and turns it into something 45:03 that can help others and help you at the same time. 45:06 I've had the privilege of going with Brian and Diane 45:10 to different facilities and their passion 45:13 and their enthusiasm and zeal 45:16 for what they are doing for service to these inmates 45:20 and ultimately service to God, 45:22 it's just so inspiring though it's a blessing. 45:24 We've been trying to twist Danny's arm into coming 45:27 but he's had conflicts a couple times. 45:29 Yeah, we will get there. 45:31 I have done it before in a couple occasions 45:34 and it was interesting to see some of these folks 45:37 and I actually one man I'll never forget said to me, 45:41 "you know, I praise the Lord that I'm in here 45:43 because I would be lost today 45:46 but I found it was through Richard Bland's ministry 45:50 I found the Lord. 45:52 So he says, "I can sing. I was blind but now I see." 45:55 And he says, "Now I feel badly for the folks on the outside. 45:59 They think they are free but I'm on the inside 46:02 and I'm free in Jesus 46:04 and lot of the folks outside are the ones really in prison." 46:07 I mean, that's amazing testimony to hear that. 46:10 And you guys, you get to hear that all the time, 46:12 but this prison ministry is blossoming 46:14 and now it's 3ABN Prison Ministry. 46:17 Of course you guys are the head of it. 46:19 And, Yvonne, had you been to prison ministry before? 46:23 I had. 46:24 I had in New York I had done a few things 46:27 but I really enjoy going with Brian and Diane. 46:30 It's so, for me it is just so touching. 46:34 And I wanted to ask you, Diane, as a mother 46:37 if you would speak to a mother right now 46:41 just like give like a quick word 46:43 to a mother who is hurting, 46:45 whose son or daughter has just gotten in trouble, 46:48 what would you say to that mother? 46:51 Well, I would say, you know, it's in God's hands. 46:57 I trusted my son into God's hands because, you know, 47:02 you worry about their safety in the prison 47:05 and I just claim those texts where God goes before 47:11 and He covers your back end too. 47:14 And I just claim those promises for our son 47:19 and then that, that gave me peace 47:24 and so that I could carry the load, 47:27 you know, and let God carry it. 47:30 And it's constant putting it back on Him, 47:35 you know, this is Your child, this is, 47:39 you know, You got to take care of him, I can't. 47:42 It's kind of like we laid our Isaac down. 47:45 You know, and get into Lord's hands. 47:47 And just the neat part of the story 47:49 is our son's life has turned around. 47:52 Yeah. Praise the Lord. 47:53 You know for and he's very consistent, 47:55 the last six years he has dedicated to the Lord. 47:58 He witnesses for the Lord. 48:00 He is living his life for the Lord 48:02 in that dark place as a light. 48:05 And so God's blessing his life too, you know. 48:10 But it tells you, what does it tell us 48:11 is that we are all vulnerable and it can happen to anybody. 48:15 Look at any family, anywhere you want to be 48:18 as we've seen early in the program 48:19 while they've never had a problem but like for you, 48:22 it's not like you had a son who grew up in a life of crime 48:25 and was doing bad things at all. 48:28 This was a shock, right, to you guys. 48:30 I mean, it had to be a nightmare experience for you. 48:33 I'm sure you would wake up thinking that was a nightmare, 48:36 hoping it was a nightmare. 48:37 We like to wake up from this 48:39 and find out it was just a dream, 48:40 a bad dream, you know, but you didn't wake up from it 48:43 and it wasn't but yeah, and the Lord gives us comfort 48:49 and He comforted us, people comforted us 48:53 and reached out to us. 48:56 And of course, we were ministering to our son 49:01 and the Lord worked and blessed that, you know. 49:05 I remember the first visit, first time phone, heavy glass. 49:11 He is on the other side we are in between. 49:14 At the end of that visit he said, 49:16 "Dad, Mom, I'm sorry for what's happened. 49:20 I want you to know I'm turning my life around 49:22 and live it differently." 49:24 And he has kept that promise, you know. 49:26 Amen. Yes. 49:28 The Lord didn't do that for any of us. 49:30 And it gives us this experience, 49:33 we pass through-- 49:35 now when we go into prison and we look in those faces 49:38 and those eyes we see something totally different 49:41 than other people see. 49:42 Other people see 49:43 somebody that's done some horrible crime. 49:46 We see someone that's vulnerable for Christ. 49:49 See a son, a daughter, you know. 49:51 And as we've worked in with the prisoners, 49:54 you know, they are just as human and caring. 50:02 When we go visit our son they say, 50:04 "Oh, we will be praying for you." 50:06 You know, just because they did a crime, 50:09 doesn't mean they are "people" too 50:15 and they love the Lord and making a difference 50:20 now where they are at 50:22 and it's just really awesome to see them. 50:25 And I think it makes a difference with them 50:28 knowing that you've had the experience 50:30 of being a parent of someone who is incarcerated. 50:33 It gives you a point of reference with them, 50:35 a point of identification with them 50:37 so that they can relate to you. 50:39 You are not just somebody, some kind of missionary 50:42 coming in with no idea as to what the experience is. 50:47 You lived it. 50:48 Because they say that, you know, 50:49 the family does the bid with the inmate. 50:52 You know, you do the time just like they do so... 50:55 But, you know, those that come in with us 50:58 that help us in our prison ministry 51:00 that don't have children or whatever 51:04 other loved ones in prison. 51:07 I admire them for their dedication too 51:10 because they don't have that driving factor like we do 51:14 and yet they are just as committed. 51:17 And the guys they see that too. 51:20 They see love and that's what counts 51:24 and they know it's not artificial, 51:27 they are not, you know, it's, it's-- 51:29 For real. It's for real. 51:31 So in the physical, 51:33 you know, it may be difficult to explain all this. 51:36 In the spiritual when Jesus comes 51:41 and your son is there with you in heaven 51:43 that price that he has paid and what happened 51:46 of course God forgives all that. 51:48 That is like a fleeting moment, it's gone. 51:50 Well, before I don't know his spiritual life 51:53 or if he was dedicated to the Lord or not, 51:56 but the point is 51:57 now that he has totally given his life to the Lord 52:02 and now that he can be like the other. 52:04 He's maybe freer in prison than he was outside 52:08 and so the end result is enternal life. 52:11 And so, you know, the song Lanny Wolfe wrote, 52:15 "Whatever it takes for my will to break, 52:17 that's what I'll be willing to do. 52:19 I'll trade sunshine for rain, comfort for pain, 52:22 that's what I'd be willing to do. 52:24 Whatever it takes for my will to break." 52:27 And so sometimes that's hard for us, 52:29 all of us, it is, 52:30 but if we're really praying that. 52:32 So I think we are learning here today 52:34 no matter what it looks like, no matter how bad it is, 52:37 God's the Creator, He can create something beautiful 52:40 around these terrible circumstances 52:42 of sin, death, disease and sickness 52:45 that we are all a part of. 52:46 But this really been good, Brian and Diane. 52:49 Thank you so much for sharing. 52:50 We learned a lot about the folks. 52:52 And we've learned that you love the Lord 52:54 and we are so thankful 52:56 that Brian and Diane have chosen to be here at 3ABN. 52:59 What a blessing to have you 53:01 and to have you in the position both of you that you are doing. 53:04 You are great with people, 53:05 you are great with the finances and with people 53:07 and I appreciate have an attitude. 53:09 It's tough to get, I always say CFOs who smile a lot 53:13 because they're always dealing with finances. 53:15 You know, so, it's tough, Brian always amazes me 53:18 because he seems happy like the rest of us 53:20 even though he is having to struggle with 53:22 to get everything paid and all of that. 53:24 But thank you so much for what you do. 53:26 We are gonna take just a short break, 53:28 our news break 53:29 and then we're gonna be back in just a moment. |
Revised 2016-03-17